Arizona Cardinals QB John Skelton making 'big jump'

Like most high school quarterbacks in Texas, John Skelton envisioned himself on center stage when he moved on to college. He eventually found the spotlight - but at a school he had not heard of.

Skelton, still surprised that he was snubbed by recruiters in his home state after an outstanding high school career in El Paso, found a home at Fordham after he and an uncle "shopped" his highlight tapes in the Northeast.

"I never even heard of Fordham until I went up there," said Skelton, a fifth-round draft choice of the Cardinals who is taking part in organized-team activities.

"I visited Columbia (where his uncle played quarterback), Fordham and Holy Cross, schools that you don't really associate football with, but to go up there and learn about the storied tradition of Fordham, Vince Lombardi and everything, it was a good school to be a part of."

Lombardi was a member of the famed 1930s defensive line at Fordham known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite."

"My four years there were really enjoyable," said Skelton, who is 6 feet 6 and 244 pounds. "It made me a better football player and a better person."

He set career records for passing yardage (9,923, also a Patriot League record) touchdown passes (69), completions (802) and attempts (1,363). He also led the Football Championship Subdivision with 3,708 passing yards in 2009. Just how good of a football player Skelton can become is something he will have to prove.

"It's a big jump," he said. "I knew going into it that it was going to be a pretty steep learning curve, and I would have to put in a lot of time and effort, and that's what I've been doing. With all the help from the coaches and a lot of the veterans, it's been a pretty smooth transition thus far."

Cardinals quarterbacks coach Chris Miller and passing-game coordinator Mike Miller put Skelton through workouts during a visit to New York. Chris Miller said Fordham's offensive scheme had some similarities to the one employed by the Cardinals, so Skelton was familiar with some of their concepts.

The coaches knew Skelton would have to make adjustments regarding the speed and pace of the pro game, as well as facing enhanced competition.

"So he has those adjustments, and then he played mainly in a shotgun system - a lot of these college guys nowadays are playing in the shotgun system - so something as simple as taking snaps from under center, working on your drops are very new to him," Chris Miller said.

"I'll tell you what: He's made tremendous progress, some great strides, from minicamp to now, and it's really encouraging and impressive to watch."

He said a potential path for Skelton would be to adapt to the NFL environment for a year and be in the mix and ready to compete in the 2011 season.

He has a powerful arm but will have to work on touch throws, timing and anticipation and not just rely on a "fastball." Another challenge, Chris Miller said, is how Skelton can absorb the complexities of an NFL playbook.

Skelton said his immediate priority is making the roster and doing whatever he can to help out, but he does project a little: "Down the road, who's to say where I might be?"